Amid reports of agricultural losses that will seriously impede the country’s food security agenda, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Sunday, August 30, called for the immediate repair and restoration of roads, bridges, and irrigation systems damaged by the southwest monsoon (habagat) and recent typhoons.
He warned that prolonged damage to agricultural infrastructure could further harm farmers and fisherfolk and threaten the country’s food supply.
The government, he said, must move quickly to restore vital farm-to-market roads, irrigation, and mechanization and dryer facilities so farmers can return to their fields, transport their produce, and prepare for the next planting and harvest cycle.
“Magsasaka at mangingisda ang isa sa mga pinakaapektadong sektor ng lipunan kapag may mga weather disturbances tulad ng habagat at bagyo. Sira ang kalsada, sira ang taniman kaya ang ibig sabihin hindi lang walang ani kundi wala rin dadaanan ang ani kahit pa may konti silang maisalba,” he explained.
Immediate repairs of roads that are vital to the transport of agricultural produce from farms should be part of the government’s food security response in times of natural disasters, the senator stressed.
Pangilinan pointed out that agricultural production cannot fully recover if farmers cannot access their farms or transport their produce to markets.
“Ang epekto ng pagbaha at pagkakasira ng ani ay hindi lang usapin ng infrastructure at ani. Usapin ito ng pagkain. Tayo dito sa siyudad ang tatamaan din kapag hindi maibaba ang ani mula sa mga sakahan o ang mga huli mula sa dagat,” he added.
The veteran lawmaker urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Agriculture (DA), the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), and local governments to conduct rapid assessments of damaged agricultural infrastructure and to prioritize repairs in heavily affected farming communities.
He also called for the release and proper use of available funds for rehabilitation, emphasizing that repairs must be durable and withstand increasingly frequent and intense weather events.
“Hindi pwedeng paulit-ulit ang problemang hinaharap natin tuwing may bagyo o habagat. We need to be proactive and not reactive. We need to build roads and irrigation systems that will withstand these severe weather events. Wag na tayong maghintay ng susunod na sakuna para lang magpagawa ulit. Kailangan sigurado tayo na yung gagawin natin ngayon eh kakayanin na ang mga susunod na pag-ulan,” Pangilinan said.
The latest update from DA stated that agricultural damage from the enhanced southwest monsoon and tropical cyclones Luis, Maymay, and Neneng has reached P2.32 billion.
The weather disturbances have so far affected 69,615 farmers and fishers in eight regions—Cordillera, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol and Western Visayas.
They have also damaged 60,896 metric tons of crops over 62,732 hectares of farmland.